The American Dental Institute, Limited.

  • American Dental Institute Ltd.
Date:
[appoximately 1894?]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The American Dental Institute, Limited. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    31/46 (page 27)
    55, St. James’s Street, S.W. 34, Thurloe Square, S.W. 1, Francis Street, Victoria Street, S.W. 50, Finsbury Square, City, E.C LONDON. Liverpool: so, rodney street. Manchester: io, st. ann’s square. Brighton: 123, king’s road. Bournemouth: the square. Kingston-on-Thames: 25, HIGH STREET. Reasons why Gold is better than any other Material for Filling Teeth.— The other materials usually employed are either white cements, gutta-percha, or amalgams. No cement has yet been discovered that is not more or less soluble in saliva, therefore it becomes dissolved in the mouth, the edges of the cavity soon get exposed, and decay recommences, to say nothing of the fact that these fillings are not hard enough to long resist the wear of mastication or the friction of the tooth-brush. Gutta-percha, properly made, mixed with ground glass and properly applied, is really a good filling in certain cavities. It is useful where neither mastication nor tooth-brush can touch it, but it will not resist the wear of either; but for many reasons it is only suitable in a few cases, except for temporary purposes. Amalgams are mixtures of various metals with mercury, and, whilst hardening by a chemical combination, they either shrink or expand. If they expanded they would burst the tooth, so they are made just to shrink, and, however carefully applied, the edge of the amalgam shrinks from the sides of the cavity and leaves space for decay again to commence. P'urther, the oxide of mercury, or silver, or copper, in the amalgam stoppings always discolours the tooth. These stoppings are only strong enough to hold in the tooth, and are not like gold—able to protect any weak edge. They take hours to really harden, and often get injured or moved before they are properly set. Gold is placed in its right position and hardened there. Bach piece is welded in its proper position, and the entire mass is hardened and finished there and then. It can be carried